Siege of Kyoto (1598)

The Siege of Kyoto was a failed attempt by Masanori Fukushima to kill Mitsunari Ishida in Kyoto during the succession dispute that followed Hideyoshi Hashiba's death. Fukushima gathered a coalition of anti-Ishida warriors, but they were soundly defeated by Ishida's army, backed up by the Uesugi and Tokugawa clans.

Background
In 1590, Hideyoshi Hashiba finished the unification of Japan with the capture of Odawara Castle from the Hojo. It remained united for only eight years, when he suddenly fell ill and died. This sparked a dispute over his succession, as his generals fought to take over his domains. The first two to clash were old rivals Masanori Fukushima and Mitsunari Ishida, who had served together at the Battle of Shizugatake and Komaki-Nagakute only fifteen years earlier. When words could not solve the problem, Masanori wanted Mitsunari dead, gathering several warriors to attempt to assassinate him in Kyoto. Little did he know that several warriors flocked to Mitsunari's side as well.

Battle
Mitsunari's forces began by searching the houses for Mitsunari, hoping to rescue him before the Anti-Ishida Coalition did. They fought their way past the enemy, aided by Ieyasu Tokugawa and Masamune Date, who arrived to aid Mitsunari and Kanetsugu, respectively. But the enemy was joined by Kiyomasa Kato, who wanted to strike down Ieyasu in order to save the Toyotomi from destruction. Keiji Maeda, who was on the side of Mitsunari, saved Ieyasu's life by defeating Kiyomasa in a duel, so that the Tokugawa could continue searching for Mitsunari. Soon, a scout located Mitsunari, and Masanori Fukushima charged out at him. Kiyomasa re-appeared to aid Masanori, but was defeated again before he could rendezvous with him. Masanori himself was routed trying to reach Mitsunari, and Mitsunari's forces met up with their lord. From then on, Mitsunari's forces wrapped up the rest of the enemy units, defeating Masanori's coalition.

Aftermath
Masanori's coalition was crushed, and Mitsunari survived the onslaught. It seemed that peace would return to the land. However, Ieyasu Tokugawa took advantage of the chaos to further his plans for domination. Kanetsugu Naoe sent a declaration of war to Ieyasu, who raised an army against the Ishida army. War would break out eventually, with Mitsunari forming the Western Army, Ieyasu the Eastern Army. This would culminate in the Battle of Sekigahara.